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Hi I'm Anthony

I'm a army-brat, a full-time student, and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

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I've grown up around the world. I've seen a lot of culture. Growing up, I always aspired to be something a little above the average. After graduating from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, I pursued a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Life's circumstances forced me to change my views, but for the better. Now I'm studying full time biophysics.
I'm shy, but out-going. I'll try any food at least once. I love to watch movies.

Why I am a Mormon

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In the early 1900's, the Mormon missionaries found my great-grandparents in a small town in Texas. After talking to my great-grandfather for nearly 8 hours in one sitting, the entire family decided to get baptized. Fortunately for me, my mother kept the teachings of her parents and raised me and younger sister in the church. With a strong base in the gospel of Jesus Christ, I was baptized and taught the principles of the gospel. My father, however, was not a member of our faith. His traditions and beliefs didn't inhibit his own desire to seek out the truth. The turning point in his own conversion came through a tragedy in our family. My mother lost a set of twins at birth. Combined with other serious life situations, my father was also baptized and we were all "sealed" together in the temple for time and all eternity. That's where my personal conversion story starts.
I left for a boarding school in 2006, and was faced with a different set of challenges. At the age of 16, I was out of the house and making decisions that would effect my future. The hardest decision for me occurred every day. In the church, there's a program for the youth to study the scriptures. In most places, it's a class that happens early in the morning. My decision to go on a regular basis is the only thing that allowed me to keep a firm faith in God. Needless to say, I had a lot of help from friends with a lot of faith. There comes a time in every person's life when they have to ask what the truth really is. I know what it is because I decided to ask. In sincere prayer, I asked God if what I was doing was right. I asked if we really do follow a Prophet sent in His name. I asked if the power to govern His church was really on the face of this planet. It's true, and I know that it's true for myself because I felt those feelings that can only come from God. A sense of peace. A sense of security. A feeling of joy.

How I live my faith

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I live my faith everyday. Two years I set out on a mission to share and teach these things to the people of Argentina. It was a difficult journey to say the least. I think I learned a lot more from them than what they learned from me! I saw what it's like to live with and without the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I saw sadness. I saw anger. I also saw something that I didn't really expect: complacency. Because of all the negative things in the world, many people are giving up hope. It was my duty to reach out and teach that there is a way to find peace. There is a way to be happy again. People always call life a test, but they never really realize how true that really is. In school, we don't expect to have the answers given to us, so why should it be any different in real life. This test however is an open book test. That's why we have the Bible and other inspired works to give us the hope necessary to pass.
Everything is still sort of new to me here where I live. It's a big change, going from teaching and preaching everyday to being a normal kid. I live my faith by surrounding myself with positive influences. I do it by showing my family how much I really love them. We're meant to be our families forever.

What is the Word of Wisdom that Mormons talk about?

Anthony

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We don't believe in prohibiting anyone from doing anything. The Word of Wisdom isn't a list of things we aren't allowed to do, but more of a list of things that we shouldn't do. It's simple: Anything that harms our body and is addicting is bad for us. Everyone outside of the church knows that. Joseph Smith received this commandment to help clarify what the worse things for us are(and later, the list expanded to include illegal drugs).
I like to think of it this way as well. In the Old Testament of the bible, God was so concerned with the health of the Israelites, he also gave them a "Word of Wisdom." It's the Kosher law that we know of today.Show moreShow less